Football programs are always at each other’s necks, even off the field. It’s recruiting time, and colleges are battling each other to get the best talents in their rosters. The most fierce one is underway at Penn State, which has 3 schools eyeing one of its long-time commits. Those looking to lure him in are some of the biggest names in college football, too. What’s worse for James Franklin is that this commit is exploring his options.
The Nittany Lions hold the 10th spot in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports, boasting six 4-star commits. But they might be losing one of them to the No. 12-ranked Notre Dame. The two schools had a short rivalry that lasted during the 90s. Now, it seems to have refreshed as the two schools are doing their best to get Messiah Mickens, a star running back who had committed to PSU way back in 2023. A Pennsylvania native, Mickens holds the title of 6A District Champion. Along with that, he also has 155 carries, 23 touchdowns, and 62 solo tackles to his name. Despite committing to the Nittany Lions 2 years ago—their earliest commitment—it seems that he might be interested in Notre Dame, the new home of his recruiter, Ja’Juan Seider.
Seider joined the Nittany Lions in 2018 as running backs coach. During his time at PSU, he had recruited Mickens, who was happy to make a decision way back then. He has since moved up the ranks and is now an assistant coach at Notre Dame. This move had “an impact on both sides,” writes On3’s Chad Simmons. 247Sports displays Seider as Mickens’ recruiter for both PSU and Notre Dame, with the latter showing a ‘warm’ interest from the RB. “Mickens is close with Seider, the Irish are back in this and the four-star running back will visit Notre Dame unofficially and officially in the coming weeks,” Simmons noted.
